Stracon ready to turn the TV into a multi-dimensional entertainment device

By
, agencyfaqs! | In | September 24, 2000

Stracon India is all set to market Sega Dreamcast and Magic Box set-top boxes in India. The latest version of Sega Dreamcast hardware allows TV sets to access the Internet

agencyfaqs! News BureauNEW DELHI, September 24

Stracon India Ltd will be marketing Sega Dreamcast and Magic Box set-top boxes in India. The latest version of Sega Dreamcast hardware would allow TV sets to access Internet, play DVDs and also offer gaming facilities, turning the television into a complete home entertainment device. The features of Magic Box are the same as Sega Dream Box, except that the former would not include the gaming feature.The Sega set-top boxes will be in the price range of Rs 12,000 and Rs 14,000, plus taxes. The Magic Box, however, is a lower end product priced in the range of Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,000, plus taxes. The Sega set top box will be launched in November followed by Magic Box in December.Sega Dream Cast is manufactured by Sega, Japan, while Magic Box is manufactured by Magic Holding, Hong Kong. Both boxes will be marketed by Stracon India but its sister company Data Access Ltd will be responsible for customising Sega and Magic set-top boxes for the Indian market. Data Access is a joint venture between Pacific Convergence Corporation and Spa TV.Speaking about Stracon's gameplan, Siddhartha Ray, managing director, Data Access, said, "These boxes will be targeted at the 18-30 age group and at women viewers in particular." The target audience for the products was identified after an international survey found TV consumption to be higher than Net usage in women. Fifteen million Sega Dreamcast boxes have been sold worldwide since their launch eight months ago, out of which three million each have been sold in the US and Japan. Now in India, the Stracon strategy will be to attract techno-phobic women to the Net through set-top boxes which allow easy Web surfing on the TV with the help of a remote.